Abstract

Preventive maintenance and dental care for college students is just as important now as it was when they were living with their parents, but even though colleges have been offering campus-based medical care to their students for many years, oral health care has not been included in this health prevention effort. Because of the impact that oral health has on the overall health and well-being of college students, and in following the Healthy People 2020 Oral health goal to “Prevent and control oral and craniofacial diseases, conditions, and injuries, and improve access to preventive services and dental care” (HP2020), this study was undertaken to determine the barriers that are preventing the student population at a large midwestern university from accessing the dental clinic on campus for their preventative care. 369 students were invited to participate in this survey research study to answer questions regarding their knowledge of the dental clinic on campus, the value they put on preventative dental care, the barriers preventing them from accessing the dental clinic, and if demographics in this student population influenced their dental health. It was discovered that the majority of the students were aware of the dental clinic, but had not had an appointment there, the students definitely value preventative care, and the barriers preventing them from scheduling an appointment were lack of insurance, cost of treatment, and time. As far as demographics influencing their dental health, the study found that junior students had poorer dental health when compared to freshman, sophomores, and seniors.

Advisor

Joseph Visker

Committee Member

Autumn Hamilton

Committee Member

Angela Monson

Date of Degree

2019

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Health Science

College

Allied Health and Nursing

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Rights Statement

In Copyright